AS a new season approaches Thurrock Rugby Club are not only going into it with optimism but a sense of well-bing for the future of the club.

In part that follows on from the opening last week of its newest facility, an artificial 'state-of-the-art' pitch.

It was used to stage a highly entertaining opening match against Burnham which Thurrock won 39-10.

It was also  a very special evening for outstanding servant of the Club, Charlie Russo, who has recently moved to Burnham and now plays for his local club.

Charlie had been captain of Thurrock for the past three seasons and worked tirelessly with the coaching staff (including his wife, former England star, Sally Tuson) to achieve success.

He had 15 years playing for Thurrock 1st XV, added to the six in the club's youth section.

Charlie was captain of the squad from 2019 until this last season becoming the clubs most capped player in League rugby amassing a massive 204 caps and scoring 34 tries in that time

Highlights of Charlie's time will probably be his comeback season in 2012 when he returned to the 1st XV and helped the team to the London 1 North title and played a big part in the two seasons spent in National League 3.

A true clubman, the main driver of the social scene for the Seniors for a long time and an idol to many aspiring 1st XV players, the message was "we thank you Charlie for everything you've done at TRFC."

As a former William Edwards student, it was fitting that he should play a leading part in the opening game on this magnificent pitch which Thurrock use courtesy of the South West Essex Community Education Trust in which William Edwards plays a major role.

The pitch provides a high level of shock absorption and the players came off extolling its virtues, with some saying it was "The best artificial pitch they had ever played on."!

Of this there is no doubt, with an independent survey showing that they had been playing on the sixth best artificial ground in the country!

Thurrock' s League season has been postponed for another week owing to teams being unable to prepare for contact work on the excessively hard grounds.

As once noted by Terry Venables: "They used to play on grass."